Therapy. For some, you’d think it’s a four-letter word.

What is it about the word therapy that sends shivers down the spine of otherwise intimidating men and women? Incidentally, a person’s physical strength has no direct correlation to their emotional strength; namely, their ability to get vulnerable.

It’s the vulnerability piece that influences many people to veer in the opposite direction when they hear ‘therapy.’ Which is a shame, because there is so much strength in showing vulnerability.

How Can Therapy Help Me?

In an ideal world, everyone would have access to therapy.

What does this really mean? Everyone would have access to resources for increasing self-awareness, self-regulation, and integration – a space to question, observe, and come to terms with the events in our lives.

Approximately one in ten American adults seek therapy, and 75% of them find benefits such as improved sleep, satisfaction, cognitive function, energy levels, and agency. Therapy is a great place – a low stakes environment – to improve communication skills and commit to beating addictions.

What makes therapy different from other relationships? The non-judgment factor. In a therapeutic setting, you’re sitting in a room with one (or several) people who are either (a) compassionately curious about what you’re going through, or (b) going through the same thing you’re going through. Many people do not wish to burden their significant others or loved ones with what they perceive to be stressful information, and a room full of strangers or with a knowledgeable professional reduces fears associated with sharing critical information.

Which Types of Therapy Work Best for Whom?

While the world of therapy can by no means be simplified into as few as eight categories, we chose to feature these eight types of therapy based on their usefulness for a diverse group of people navigating a broad range of challenges.

For each therapy, we’ve provided a definition, elaborated on various techniques used in the framework, and made recommendations for the people who may stand the most to gain from trying that form of therapy.

As always, we welcome the opportunity to hear from our readers. If you have experience in any of these modes of therapy, we’d love to hear what worked for you.

Animal-assisted Therapy (AAT)

In animal-assisted therapy, humans build healthy connections with animals in safe spaces, such as equine therapy barns. Common animal species featured in an AAT program include dogs, cats, and horses, though guinea pigs, rabbits, and birds are no strangers to the intervention.

Techniques used in AAT include granting opportunities for physical connection which a human therapist cannot legally provide. The therapy animal can serve as a symbol of unconditional love and nonjudgment, encouraging the patient to lower their emotional barriers within the context of a newly developing therapist-client relationship.

Evidence reveals that therapy dogs have proven beneficial to people living with mental health disorders, cancer, or heart disease. This form of therapy is well-suited for people seeking to increase their flexibility, overcome addiction, resolve trauma, bridge cognitive deficits, and cultivate self-confidence.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

The first principle of CBT is that any psychological issues are partly based on disempowered way of thinking and/or behaving. The therapist believes that the client can learn more empowered ways of coping with challenges, and uses various strategies to help them accomplish this task.

Examples of frequently-used techniques include practicing mindfulness, using role-playing to anticipate conflicts, or observing an issue from different points of view. Essentially, the therapist puts the “burden” of resolving one’s crises on the client. They already possess the tools within themselves to heal – the therapist’s questions and prompts are what serve as a catalyst for the client to engage in a process of transformation.

Research consistently affirms the direct benefits of CBT, such as an improved perception of one’s quality of life and general functioning. It may be particularly useful for people navigating depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol or substance dependency, or eating disorders.

Creative Arts Therapy

Similar to animal-assisted therapy, creative arts therapy uses art as a catalyst for transformation. It is an ideal therapy mode for people who express themselves more clearly and creatively through the arts, as opposed to talk therapy. 

Creative arts activities can involve a plethora of mediums, from drawing and painting to sculpture or graffiti. What’s important is not the medium of art but what that medium allows an artist to process, uncover, or resolve within themselves.

The American Art Therapy Association lauds the benefits of creative arts therapy for helping clients develop appropriate social skills, resolve distressing interpersonal conflicts, and build a positive self-concept

Emotion-focused Therapy (EFT)

Designed to take 8-20 sessions, EFT views emotions as the key to understanding psychological challenges. The idea of EFT is to increase a client’s awareness of their own emotions, help them better regulate these emotions, and change a maladaptive emotion into an adaptive alternative. 

What might this look like? Consider someone who shuts down in conflict, or on the opposite end of the spectrum, someone who lashes out and almost blacks out afterward. Both of these people may be experiencing a disconnect in which the gap between a trigger and a reaction is hairline-thin. EFT essentially involves spelunking in that gap to look for the emotions behind the triggers. 

Understandably, EFT may be extra beneficial for people dealing with anger management issues, numbness, withdrawal, or social anxiety. Other benefits of EFT include an increased ability to articulate emotions and problems, an understanding of the root of interconnected issues, and a better perspective of one’s own needs (or one’s partner’s needs – EFT can be used by couples, too).

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)

In EMDR, a client remembers the details of an especially traumatic incident while performing specific eye movements. The goal of this technique is to substitute adverse reactions to difficult memories with less reactive or adaptive responses.

The most prevalent therapeutic use for EMDR is in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Clients go through eight stages, starting with an orientation to EMDR and a session in which they provide their goals, history of trauma, and healthcare information. After completing an assessment to identify negative beliefs connected to lived trauma, clients begin the desensitization and reprocessing phase. It is here where they do the work to substitute adverse reactions with empowered responses.

Not quite over – the client still has to install new beliefs. Conducting a body scan helps decrease reactivity before moving to closure and stabilization. Clients may complete journaling exercises, for example, between sessions. The last phase involves making steps for the future. As you can see, this process grants considerable autonomy to the client, helping to restore a sense of agency they may have lost in a traumatic event.

Group Therapy

People may be more likely to feel alone in their challenges when they engage in group therapy. In these settings, small groups of people united by a common goal or experience offer support, active listening, and a safe space.

Group therapy settings can be a useful place to work through marital issues, struggles with addiction, the aftermath of trauma, or adaptation to living with a severe injury or illness. It takes a certain level of vulnerability to make the most out of group therapy. Participants can choose between therapist-led spaces or participant-led spaces, and attendees are usually welcome to remark on each other’s contributions.

Hypnotherapy

When most people hear the word “hypnotherapy,” they might think of a gimmicky magician dangling an oversized pocket watch in front of an entranced audience member. It is unfortunate that hypnosis is sometimes associated with pseudo-practices because the therapeutic approach has been found to be very effective in real life.

People struggling to manage stress and anxiety may benefit from engaging in hypnotherapy. Entering a state of hypnosis does not mean a person loses voluntary control of their body. It simply means that the person achieves a physical state in which they are more open to absorbing suggestions.

These suggestions could be alternatives for coping with difficult news, ways to ask for help, or values to associate with memories, for example. Research has additionally proven hypnotherapy’s utility in overcoming insomnia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), chronic pain, and smoking addiction.

Play Therapy

Predictably, play therapy is a wonderful avenue for children to use in identifying, discussing, and navigating their feelings and thoughts, be they overwhelming, scattered, or disturbing in some form. Props like puppets or blocks can be used in role-play scenarios, allowing a child to exercise autonomy in creating an empowered meaning.

In allowing youth to engage in play, the therapist works to build trust. Within this context, a therapist can validate a child’s response, propose alternatives, or arm them with information to make self-serving choices.

Eventually, the goal of play therapy is for a child to learn how to solve their own problems. Think of successful television shows like Barney and Sesame Street – perhaps these shows have remained so popular because they allow youth to vicariously experience conflicts and healthy resolutions. Play therapy aims to do just that. Reported benefits include increased empathy, vulnerability, self-respect, and responsible behavior.